TC accused of 'sending four people to the dote queue'
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ByDorc
A BUILDER WHO accused Tom Macartney, the NorthEastern Traffic Commissioner, of putting four more people on the dole queue after he refused to grant an 0-licence has had his appeal turned down by the Transport Tribunal.
Michael Weldrick, who is based in Barnsley and trades as Michael Weldrick 1st 4 Skips, had initially applied for a restricted 0-licence in February of this year. However, it was refused by the TC because the business could not prove it had more than an average of £800 in the bank. or an overdraft facility to call upon — a restricted 0-licence requires finance of £4,800.
In addition, the licensing unit had flagged up the fact that Weldrick had been the director of two failed firms — Weldrick Duggan and Weldrick Duggan & Sons, which had been placed into liquidation owing a total of £208,447 This could affect his repute, licensing officials said.
In his letter of appeal to the Tribunal, Weldrick blamed the collapse in the housing market for his cash-flow issues.
He adds: "The reasoning behind the skip-hire business was to allow us to bring in revenue and keep trading. Your decision has stopped us working altogether in an uncertain economic climate, which may mean we can no longer stay trading, which, in turn, means four more people heading for the dole queue."
However, the tribunal says that EU rules governing 0-licensing do not give the TCs any leeway when it comes to a company's proof of financial standing.
It adds: "The appellant did not provide evidence of adequate funds for either a restricted or standard licence despite the efforts of [licensing officiall Mr Farooq. In the circumstances, the application was bound to be refused and this appeal F
was bound to fail." 7?'